I’ve had my 19 ILX Tech ASpec for 5 months now, just turned 5500 miles. Since ownership I’ve really gotten a glimpse at Acura’s piss poor quality control. From misaligned body panels, to dozens of paint defects, to factory wet sanding spots, creases in the headliner, and untrimmed dashboard molding around the defrost vents. I’m currently leasing this car and thank god I did! I truly planned on purchasing after lease but now I’m thinking I’ll part ways and move into another brand. My wife’s 17 Mazda CX-9 is near flawless after almost 3 years of ownership. Why is Mazda more of a luxury brand than Acura? This lack of quality control wouldn’t pass for a Hyundai/Kia, why does Acura let it pass?

Well yesterday was the last straw. As I hand wash my car in my driveway, I noticed that the paint on the upper edges of the rear bumper is just flaking off to bare plastic. There’s not even primer under there!

 

Hey,

I also own a 19 ILX A-Spec (around 5 months of ownership as well) and haven't had any of the issues (although I'm not with the car right now). Before I picked up the car, I made sure to do a full inspection and didn't find any problems. I had also had a ceramic coat done after the day I picked it up. I will say though, Honda has had some issues with their paint before and I wouldn't be surprised.

Have you tried talking to the dealer? Since the car is new, maybe they'd help?

 

Mine has a full ceramic coating as well. Mine had no paint issues minus the imperfections all over the vehicle up until two days ago. From what I’ve seen all ILX’s have these imperfections as I’ve seen them on new cars in the showroom. Just a poor quality paint job all together. I was literally just giving my car a foam bath in my driveway and while putting on my silica sealant I rubbed my microfiber towel over that area and the paint just came off.

 

My son had '17 ILX Premium (white) that had a pretty decent paint job - held up well the nearly 3 years he had it. He just got a '19 ILX Premium in Black that he's had for about 6 weeks now (build date May 2019). I had the car for a few days while he was out of town and found the finish pretty decent, including the panel fit and general fit/finish. There was a spot under the passenger mirror that looks like it wasn't buffed/polished, but the paint and clearcoat is in good shape - so I'll get to that at some point. But generally, I don't see any of the issues that others have noticed....

 

Lets just say inspect cars for a living. I notice what 99% cant. I can go on and on. This is a budget car so I’m not too concerned but if I was buying a $50k Acura I’d be flipping pissed. Sadly this lack of quality is apparent though the Acura lineup.

 

While I don't inspect cars for a living, I'm pretty particular about many of the things you mentioned in your post - and have purchased new cars for over 40 years. I've seen a fair number of "stinkers" in terms of fit/finish and paint quality with Honda / Acuras over the years - so I know it's definitely possible. But they're not all like that, and the most important thing to do is inspect the hell out of the specific vehicle you're buying. Small things like misaligned trunk lid gaps and trim pieces that don't fit snug would bug me and make me find a different vehicle in the lot - sometimes sacrificing color choice for fit/finish. The one example that comes to mind of a car I shouldn't have gotten was an '06 Pilot. Was a low-end LX AWD as a 3rd vehicle for the family, and it looked good at cursory inspection. After taking delivery I was watching the car from an upper floor as my wife drove it into the driveway. The hood and trunk had splotchy paint, right from the factory. The long and short of it was that the pain process they used for this particular blue color had issues during this time and the color wasn't consistent across the panels from the top guns. I didn't get it repainted since I figured the factory finish would hold up better than a re-paint on a brand new car. That was until my son took out the front grill/hood while driving it - when the hood then had a decent paint job (2 years into ownership).

Anyway, the bottom line is to make sure the one you buy/lease meets your personal satisfaction - so you're not running back to get small things adjusted, etc.

andy

PS - the paint job on my wife's '18 RLX SH-AWD is outstanding. Not sure if that's because it's a car from Japan or not. Black metallic pear paint job - very nice.